Soil Freezing and Thawing as Related to Some Vegetation, Climatic, and Soil Variables

This paper presents the results of a study of soil freezing under brush cover, a light grass cover, and in bare soil. The brush cover, and to a lesser extent the light grass cover, decreased freezing, depth, delayed the first occurrence of freezing, and advanced the date of the last freeze of the year, as compared with bare soil. Freezing kept the surface soil wet by drawing moisture from deeper depths of the soil, resulting in high evaporation rates during rainless periods and rapid soil erosion during rainstorms. Freezing and thawing are shown to be quantitatively related to several variables of microclimate and soil.